Briley Wood with the Winnipeg ICE (Photo: Zachary Peters/Winnipeg ICE)
The Wenatchee Wild’s training camp is set to kick off on Thursday, August 31. The fight for a spot as a twenty-year-old will be a tough one—the Western Hockey League has a limit of three twenty-year-olds on each team, and six 2003-born players will be taking the ice in Wenatchee’s training camp. With three forwards, two defensemen, and one goaltender all gunning for one of the three spots, it’s anyone’s guess who will make the final roster. Training camp will be their ultimate chance.
Forwards
Ty Nash
A seasoned veteran, Ty Nash comes to the Wenatchee Wild off a career-high 44 points (20G-24A) in 63 regular season games played. The forward hails from Scottsdale, Arizona, making his return to the States after playing for the Lethbridge Hurricanes (2019-22) and the Winnipeg ICE (2022-23). Before the WHL, Nash played for the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes 18U AAA team, recording 36 points (14G-22A) in 23 games in the 2020-21 season.
Nash was drafted by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the ninth round, 183rd overall, of the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft. “He has really good skill and thinks the game so well,” Hurricanes Head Scout Rob MacLachlan said upon drafting Nash. Since then, Nash scored his first WHL goal on October 11, 2019, and has recorded a total of 110 points (47G-63A) in 207 regular season games played. He’s appeared in the WHL playoffs twice, once with Lethbridge and once with Winnipeg.
Off the ice, Nash is known for his community efforts and contributions. In his 2021-22 season with the Hurricanes, he pledged $10 per goal to the Goals for Kidsport program, helping increase the opportunities for young children to enter the world of sports. “It’s always been an important thing for me,” Nash said. “The fans support us so much—they were so good to me in Lethbridge and in Winnipeg, and I’m sure they will be in Wenatchee. They come to our games and they support us, so it’s only the right thing that we give back.”
Briley Wood
Just like the other twenty-year-olds, Briley Wood comes to Wenatchee looking for a permanent spot on the Wild’s roster. Last season, the Rivers, Manitoba native split his time between the Winnipeg ICE and the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Neepawa Titans, scoring 57 points (19G-38A) in 39 games with the latter. “Playing in Neepawa really helped,” Wood said. “I got a lot of confidence, and they’re a great organization. The staff really helped me develop as a player, to make the jump back up to the WHL.”
Another previous Hurricane, Wood was drafted by Lethbridge in 2019 before being traded to the Wild ahead of the 2022-23 season. Overall, he has seven points (4G-3A) in 91 WHL regular season games played, scoring his first goal against the Brandon Wheat Kings on February 18, 2022. This summer, he attended the Colorado Avalanche’s Development Camp.
Known for his skating, Wood made quite the impact with the Neepawa Titans last season. He works hard, and no doubt will make an impression at the Wild’s training camp this year.
Easton Armstrong
Drafted by the Regina Pats 214th overall in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft, Easton Armstrong came to the Winnipeg ICE in January of last season. He played 27 games with the ICE, with nine points (3G-6A) by the end of the season, going on to make an appearance in every ICE playoff game. With the move to Wenatchee, Armstrong makes his return to the States: he played in the Los Angeles Jr. Kings program before making his WHL debut, scoring an impressive 72 points (42G-30A) in 49 games played on the U16 team in the 2019-20 season.
Armstrong scored his first WHL goal as a Pat on November 28, 2021, and his first hat trick a year later on December 5, 2022.
Regarding the move to Wenatchee, Armstrong said, “I’m super excited. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Wenatchee. My two linemates with the Jr. Kings, Parker Murray, and Ean Somoza, played there. I played with them forever – they loved playing there, so I’m definitely really excited to be in Wenatchee and to be able to play in the U.S. Division.”
With notable hand-eye coordination and a strong hockey sense, Armstrong has a good case going for him as he heads into the Wild’s training camp.
Defensemen
Karter Prosofsky
Karter Prosofsky has been with the ICE since they were in Kootenay, even if he only had two games that season. The Saskatoon native had a career-high 17 points (1G-16A) in 34 games played last year—another shortened season after COVID had cut down two previous. He looks to have his first (and last) full season with the Wenatchee Wild and has a good shot at doing so.
Before the WHL, Prosofsky played for the Saskatoon Blazers U18 AAA team, finishing his 2018-19 season with 26 points (5G-21A) in 38 games played. He’s had a productive WHL career so far, with 37 points (4G-33A) in 117 total games played.
When it comes to his game, he describes himself as an “offensive defenseman,” adding that “I love being in the offensive zone [and] I’m physical.” His physicality has always been a strong part of his game. Although he’s on the smaller side, at 5’9 and 175 pounds, the defenseman isn’t afraid to throw his weight around.
The move to Wenatchee is an exciting one for him. “I think the fresh start for everyone is going to be unreal,” he said. “Obviously, we’ll be in the States now so it’ll be different, but I think a fresh start for everyone on the roster is going to be unreal for us.”
Graham Sward
Graham Sward makes his return to the US Division this year, after spending most of his career with the Spokane Chiefs. Spokane drafted him in the first round, 17th overall, in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft; he was traded to the Winnipeg ICE in the 2022-23 season, where he went on to score 33 points (4G-29A) in 52 games.
“That was all I knew up until this year, was playing in Spokane,” said Sward. “It was an awesome experience in Winnipeg – a little colder than I’d ever experienced being from B.C., but I really enjoyed it and we had a really good team. I’m excited to come back to the U.S. – I had a great time in Spokane and I really enjoyed playing in the States. All of the fans in the States are pretty wild – it’s an awesome division to play in. Being from B.C., I know a lot of guys who play in the BCHL, so I’ve been doing my research about what it’s like to play in Wenatchee, and I’ve heard nothing but good things from the guys who have gone in there as an away team. They say the rink gets loud and it’s an awesome place to play.”
Sward scored his first WHL goal in the first game he played, on January 5, 2019. Overall, he has 99 points (18G-81A) in 184 WHL games played and was a prominent part of the ICE’s 2023 playoff run. Before the WHL, Sward played for the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U18 team and Yale Hockey Academy Prep.
Sward was drafted by the Nashville Predators 146th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. EliteProspects describes his game: “He scans for threats, and generally adjusts his positioning accordingly. In transition, Sward uses the inside lane, looks off his target to bait forecheckers, and shows skill on the backhand and with puck position-changing passes when pressured. He stretches the ice with two-line passes or sneaks a quick feed through a defender for a teammate building speed under the puck.”
Goaltenders
Mason Beaupit
Another former Spokane Chief, Mason Beaupit has already made a name for himself. He was drafted by Spokane 82nd overall in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft, moving to the Winnipeg ICE (and reuniting with Graham Sward) nine games into his 2022-23 season. Before the WHL, Beaupit played for the Valley West Giants U18 AAA team, recording a 2.85 GAA in his 2019-20 season. Backing up for Daniel Hauser, Beaupit played 22 games last season, with a goals-against-average of 3.08 and a save percentage of .892.
The talented goaltender heard his name called in the 2022 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks, who took him 108th overall.
Known for his size and versatility in the net, Beaupit worked hard last season to prove himself to a new team. This year, he’ll do the same with the Wild. “He’s got the size and the agility that made Mads Søgaard such an attractive option in the 2020 draft, but also boasts the tell-tale loose-footed edgework that pushes his frame right out of position when he needs to be centered most,” writes EliteProspects. “The tool that’s going to give Beaupit a chance to thrive at the professional level is going to be his speed.”
The Wild have a talented pool of prospects and veterans alike. With the 2023-24 season around the corner, and only three spots available for the twenty-year-olds, the six overagers will have to work hard to prove themselves. It’s easy to make an argument for why each of them deserves a place, which makes it even more exciting to see who exactly will end up on the final roster.
The Wenatchee Wild’s training camp kicks off on Thursday, August 31, followed by their pre-season debut on September 6 against the Spokane Chiefs.
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